Imprinter

ABSTRACT

A data recorder for imprinting indicia from an embossed printing plate and variable indicia wheels onto a form includes a bed for retaining the form, the embossed printing plate, and the variable indicia wheels. On each variable indicia wheel, the indicia characters alternate with notches about the circumference of the wheel, one of the notches registering with a detent wedge carried on a pivotable detent arm. A platen carrier supported on wheels engaging tracks below the bed is manually moved across the bed, the wheels depressing an actuator extending into the track area and causing the detent arms to pivot and engage the notches of the indicia wheels. The presentation of the indicia wheels is controlled by manually slidable selectors which are resiliently maintained in set positions by means of detent pawls which are urged into engagement with teeth on the selectors by means of parallel springs, one end of each spring secured to each detent. The other end of each spring is fastened to a bail which is normally maintained in a spring-tensioning positioning by engagement with a slide riding on rails, providing maximum detent action on the selectors. The slide which is moved by a crank secured to the platen carrier includes a pivoting return latch which engages a pick-up on each selector only on the return stroke of the platen carrier, and returning all selectors to zero. Because the slide is disengaged from the bail during the return stroke of the platen carrier, the return latch acts against a decreased detent force on the selectors, thereby minimizing the manual force required to operate the platen carrier during the imprinting operation.

Matte @tates tent [191 Treat 1 1 3,%,% [4 1 Feb. 11,1975

1 1 llMPlRlN'lER Mitchel A. Trout, Albany, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Dymo industries lne, San

Francisco, Calif.

22 Filed: July 23,1973

21 A 1.No.;ssz,0s0

[75] Inventor:

Primary Examiner-Edgar S. Burr Assistant Examiner-Edward M. Coven Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Harris Zimmerman [57] ABSTRACT A data recorder for imprinting indicia from an embossed printing plate and variable indicia wheels onto a form includes a bed for retaining the form, the embossed printing plate, and the variable indicia wheels.

7 On each variable indicia wheel, the indicia characters alternate with notches about the circumference of the wheel, one of thenotches registering with a detent wedge carried on a pivotable detent arm. A platen carrier supported on wheels engaging tracks below the bed is manually moved across the bed, the wheels depressing an actuator extending into the track area and causing the detent arms to pivot and engage the notches of the indicia wheels. The presentation of the indicia wheels is controlled by manually slidable selectors which are resiliently maintained in set positions by means of detent pawls which are urged into engagement with teeth on the selectors by means of parallel springs, one end of each spring secured to each detent. The other end of each spring is fastened to a bail which is normally maintained in a springtensioning positioning by engagement with a slide riding on rails, providing maximum detent action on the selectors. The slide which is moved by a crank secured to the platen carrier includes a pivoting return latch which engages a pick-up on each selector only on the return stroke of the platen carrier, and returning all selectors to zero. Because the slide is disengaged from the bail during the return stroke of the platen carrier, the return latch acts against a decreased detent force on the selectors, thereby minimizing the manual force required to operate the platen carrier during the imprinting operation.

14 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENIEDFEB1 H915 3.8651026 SHEET 2 [IF 4 PATEMEB 1 1975 3,885,026

' sum 3 or a 1 HMPRINTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Due to the great necessity of recording all data pertaining to a credit transaction both accurately and permanently, many machines have been developed in the past to accomplish this objective. Generally, these machines employ a platen carrier which imprints data from an embossed credit card and from variable indicia wheels onto a standardized transaction form, the indicia wheels indicating the date and amount of the transaction, store code, authenticating code, etc. These wheels must be reset after each transaction to prevent costly or embarrassing errors in subsequent transactions. In the machines known in the prior art, resetting has been accomplished either manually or by a reset device operatively associated with the platen carrier and actuated on the return of the platen carrier. These reset devices have often been complicated and therefore subject to breakdown. Also, the prior art devices usually reset the wheel position selectors by acting against a spring biased detent associated with each selector. To act against seven or ten detents simultaneously requires substantial force and renders the return stroke of the platen carrier arduous. The manual force needed to return the platen carrier is so great that often the machine must be held down, if it is not anchored securely, to prevent pushing the entire machine away.

Among the data recording machines known in the prior art, a deficiency often noted in the variable indicia wheels mechanism is that one or more of the wheels may rotate, after being set to a particular character by the selector, to an adjacent character. This may be caused by a character face being non-parallel to the platen, which contacts the face during the printing stroke and rotates the indicia wheel. Aside from the possible damage to the indicia wheel mechanism, the consequences of mis-recording the store code or the amount of the transaction can be serious.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention discloses a data recording machine which overcomes the deficiencies in the prior art by providing a unique locking mechanism to prevent movement of the variable indicia wheels during the printing operation, and which also provides a novel reset mechanism for the variable indicia wheels. The machine includes a movable platen carrier supported on wheels which ride on parallel tracks below a bed on which a form to be imprinted is supported. The bed also retains a row of variable indicia wheels which are positioned by a row of slidable selectors with knobs received in slots of the top surface of a panel adjacent to the bed, each selector having teeth thereon which rotate one indicia wheel through an intermediate idler gear. Each variable indicia wheel includes notches alternating with the indicia characters about the circumference of the wheel, one of the notches registering with a detent wedge carried on a pivotable detent arm, one detent arm for each indicia wheel. Extending into the track area is an actuator which is depressable by the wheels of the platen carrier during the printing operation, the actuator causing the detent arms to pivot and the detent wedges to engage the notches of the indicia wheels and retain them in the position preset by the senot inadvertently 'be altered'duringthe printing of theform, yet are free to move with the platen carrier in the home position.

The present invention also includes a reset mechanism which returns all of the indicia wheels to a neutral or zero position upon return of the platen carrier to the home position after a printing-operation. The reset mechanism includes a slide riding on rails which straddle the row of selectors underneath the top of the housing. Mounted on the slide is a pivoting return latch which is cammed away from engagement with the selectors when the slide is disposed in the home position corresponding to the home position of the platen carrier. The slide is moved by the platen carrier acting through a right-angle crank, the latch engaging a pickup on each selector as the slide returns to home position, resetting all of the indicia wheels by moving all of the selectors to the zero or neutral position.

Each selector is retained in a preset position corresponding to a character presented on the related indicia wheel by a pawl mounted on a lever and engaging one of a set of teeth on the selector which demarcate the preset positions. The pawl levers, in a row below the selectors, are each urged into engagement by a spring secured between each pawl lever and a bail disposed on a frame between the rails. In the home position the slide impinges on the bail, causing it to rotate, increasing the tension of the pawl springs and maximizing the detent action on each selector. When the slide is moved from the home position and is not contacting the bail, the tension of the pawl springs urges the bail to rotate to a minimum tension position, reducing the detent force on each pawl. Thus the mechanism reduces the detaining force on the selectors which must be overcome by the reset latch on the return stroke and minimizes the manual force required to operate the data recording machine.

THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the date recorder of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view from below of the mechanism of the present invention, shown in the home position.

FIG. 3 is a view from below of the mechanism in an actuated position.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the operating structures of the selector and reset mechanism of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a portion of the invention shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a detailed view ofa pawl of the detent mechanism of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention is directed toward an improved data recording machine useful for, but not limited to imprinting data pertinent to a credit transaction on a standardized form. As shown in FIG. 1, it includes a rectangular housing 7 which supports a lateral bed 8 on which the printing takes place. Extending above the surface level of the bed and retained thereby is a row of variable indicia wheels 9 such as might be used to indicate the date of transaction, each wheel directly manually rotatable. A row of parallel variable indicia wheels ll for indicating the amount of the transaction and other data also extends above the bed surface, the

presentation of each wheel 11 controlled by one of the corresponding selectors 12 and indicated in a corresponding window 13 in the housing. Retainers 14 secured to the bed locate and retain an embossed data plate and a standardized form on the bed so that the imprinted data appears in the appropriate spaces on the form.

Imprinting is accomplished by a roller platen secured within a movable platen carrier 16. The platen carrier, shown in the home or rest position, is supported on wheels which ride on track 17 adjacent and below the bed, and a corresponding opposed parallel track which is not shown. The printing operation comprises manually urging the platen carrier from the rest position to the right side of the bed, the platen impinging upon the embossed data plate and the variable indicia wheels. Before the platen contacts the indicia wheels 11 the wheels supporting the platen carrier impinge on and depress an actuator 18 which acts through a novel mechanism to lock the indicia wheels in place and prevent inadvertent rotation of the indicia wheels and misrecording of the preset data. The printing operation is completed by manually returning the platen carrier to the home position, during which motion the selectors 12 are reset by a novel mechanism to the zero position shown in FIG. 1.

Within the housing 7 a frame assembly 21 subjacently depends from the undersurface of the bed 8 and the top of the housing. The frame 21 includes parallel spaced apart frame walls 22 and 23 with feet 24 bolted to the bed and top of the housing. At each end of the frame walls a perpendicular bracket 26 is formed, with a round aperture therein for fixedly receiving the end of rod 27. A slide 28 comprising a transverse web 29 connecting parallel sides 31 is slidably retained in the rods 27 by means of slide brackets 32 which include apertures therein for receiving the rods. The sides 31 are disposed adjacent to the frame walls and parallel thereto, and the web includes a recess 35 in one end thereof. At the opposite end of the slide parallel arms 33 extend upward within the walls 22 and 23, supporting therebetween a pivoting return latch 34. The return latch comprises a transverse latch web 36 supported by latch arms 37 secured to the slide arms with pins or like means. Extending between the slide arms 33 and the frame walls 22 and 23 are the selector arms 38 which link the selectors l2 and the variable indicia wheels 11.

The slide is translated along the rods 27 by action of a crank 39, which bears a slot 41 receiving a pin 42 fixed to the slide. The crank comprises a lateral member 43 and an angularly offset member 44 joined to member 43 and spaced apart therefrom by a vertical member. The crank rotates about a shaft 45 which is received through holes in the members 43 and 44, the shaft being supported by the top of the housing and by a support bracket 46 which is secured to the side of the housing. A helical spring 47 about the shaft 45 and secured to the crank and a stop 48 biases the crank in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2. The surface 49 of the member 44 is formed as a cam surface engaged by a cam pin 51. The cam pin is retained by an angle bracket 52 secured to the platen carrier 16 and extending from the platen carrier into the housing through slot 53 which is disposed adjacent to the bed. As depicted in FIG. 2, the platen carrier and the crank are in the home position.

Each selector arm 38 includes a medial slot 54 therein through which is received a guide shaft 56 which extends between and is supported by the frame walls 22 and 23. Each selector arm also bears squared teeth 57 on the upper edge, the teeth engaging the gear teeth of an idler gear 58. Similar teeth circumferentially spaced about the indicia wheel 11 and adjacent to the circumferentially spaced indicia characters are engaged by the idler gear teeth, thereby enabling lateral motion of the selector arm to alter the indicia character presentation of each wheel.

By virtue of a novel locking mechanism which forms a part of the present invention, each indicia wheel is locked in its set presentation during the printing operation. The mechanism includes the actuator 18, which is secured to a bail 61 disposed within the frame walls and pivotally fastened to the shaft on which the idler gears are retained. The bail is spring biased in the counterclockwise direction by a spring secured between the bail and the frame wall 22. Also rotatably fastened to the idler gear shaft are a plurality of locking levers 62, one for each indicia wheel, which are linked together by a rod 63 passing through them all, causing them to rotate in unison. Each locking lever terminates at one end with a wedge 64 which is registrable with a notch presented by the indicia wheel. A, spring 66 is secured between each end of the rod 63 and the corresponding arm of the bail 61, thereby linking the bail with the locking levers. During the printing operation and before the platen impinges on the variable indicia wheels 11, the platen carrier contacts the actuator, depressing it and rotating the bail clockwise. The resulting tension on the springs 66 urges the levers clockwise, the wedges engaging the notches of their respective indicia wheels and maintaining the indicia wheels immobile during the printing operation.

It should be noted that the locking mechanism is designed to prevent damage to the mechanism due to missetting of the indicia wheels. For example, should an indicia wheel be inadvertently set so that a notch on one wheel is not registerable with a wedge, the springs 66 will limit the force applied to that wedge and directed onto one of the indicia characters of that wheel, thereby eliminating damage to the indicia wheel or to the wedge.

It should be noted that lateral translation of a selector arm 38 a distance of one tooth 57 interval causes the corresponding indicia wheel to rotate the interval of one indicia character. To retain the selector arms in a desired position, a pawl 68 is provided for each selector arm which engages the triangular teeth 69 on the lower edge of each selector arm, the teeth 69 having the same spacing as the teeth 57. Each pawl is carried on a pawl lever 71, all of the pawl levers being rotatably secured to a shaft 72 which is supported at both ends by the frame walls 22 and 23. Each pawl comprises a medial slot 73 defined by walls 74. The slot, which is slightly wider than the teeth 69, retains therein a ball 76 which is resiliently secured in recesses in the walls 74. The ball is adapted to ride on the surface of the gear teeth as the teeth pass within the walls.

Each pawl lever is urged into engagement with the selector arm by a tension spring 77 secured between one end of the pawl lever and a pawl bail 78. The pawl bail is secured to and pivots about shaft 79 within the frame walls and which is retained by the frame walls. A rod 81 extending between the frame walls acts as a stop and limits the counterclockwise motion of the ball, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. In that position the extension of the springs 77 is slight, the force urging the pawl into engagement with the teeth is likewise slight, and the resulting position retaining action of the pawl is minimal. In this disposition the selectors may be translated easily and may be easily reset. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, with the slide in the home position the recess 35 engages the bail 78, rotating the bail and increasing the spring force applied to the pawl levers.

Resetting of the selectors is accomplished by the latch 34 secured to the slide 29. In the slide home position the latch is pivoted out of engagement with the selector arms by means of a stop 86 extending from the frame wall 22 and engaging an arm 82 of the latch. The arm 82 also includes an angular extension 83 which limits the angular disposition of the latch such that if the slide is not in the home position and the stop is not engaging the latch arm, the latch will rotate counterclockwise, as shown in FIG. 4, under spring tension of spring 85 until the stop impinges on the slide, the web of the latch being adjacent to the lower edges of the selector arms 38. Extending from the lower edges of the selector arms are saw-tooth shaped projections 84 which are contacted by the latch web 36 as the slide translates. As the slide moves away from the home position the latch web encounters the ramp of the projections which causes the latch to pivot over the projections. As the slide moves toward the home position the latch web captures the vertical portions of the projections, as shown in FIG. 5, urging the selector arms to return to the zero position. At the zero position the latch engages the stop and pivots away from the selector arms, so that the selectors may be set for the next transaction without interference.

The operation of the data recorder of the present invention may be summarized as follows: With the platen carrier 16 in the home position, the slide 29 is in the home position, engaging the pawl bail 78 which applies spring force to the pawl levers 71 to retain the selector arms in a set position. After the selectors are set to the desired numerals, rotating the variable indicia wheels 11 to the corresponding indicia characters, the printing operation is commenced by manually moving the platen carrier toward the indicia wheels. The crank 43 is thus caused to slide from the home position, releasing the pawl bail and removing most of the retaining force of the pawls on the selector arms. Prior to contacting the variable indicia wheels, the platen carrier impinges on and depresses the actuator 18 which acts through a bail mechanism to rotate locking wedges into engagement with notches interspaced with the indicia characters on the indicia wheels, immobilizing the wheels as the platen contacts the indicia wheels. On the return stroke of the platen carrier to the home position, the actuator 18 is released, freeing the indicia wheels; after which the return latch 36 engages the projections 84 on the selector arms, urging the selectors and the variable indicia wheels back to the zero position as the slide returns to the home position. At the home position, the return latch pivots away from engagement with the selector arm projections, freeing the selectors. The platen carrier and the slide are in the home position, the pawl bail is engaged again, the actuator 18 is free, the selectors are reset to zero, and the data recorder is ready to record the next transaction.

Thus it may be seen that the present invention provides a data recorder which is easy to operate, requiring a minimum manual force to operate the platen carrier by virtue of the novel pawl mechanism which reduces the force required to reset the selectors. Furthermore, the unique locking mechanism prevents any inadvertent motion of the variable indicia wheels during the printing operation, reducing errors in the recording of transaction data.

I claim:

I. A data recorder for printing indicia. including a housing, a printing bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printingv bed, a plurality of selector arms slidably retained by said housing and variably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia wheels, and a reset apparatus for returning said variable indicia wheels and said selector arms to a neutral position, said reset apparatus comprising;

slide means for reciprocally translating along said selector arms,

latch means, pivotally secured to said slide means, for

engaging said selector arms and returning said selector arms to said neutral position, crank means, secured to said slide means and operatively associated with said platen carrier, for trans lating said slide means, and

tooth means, formed on said selector arms, for engaging said latch means.

2. The data recorder of claim 1, further including pawl means for retaining said selector arms in a preset position, and bail means for varying the force of engagement of said pawl means with said selector arms to minimize said retaining of said selector arms during said return of said selector arms to said neutral positioni 3. The data recorder of claim 1, wherein said selector arms are parallel and spaced apart and said slide means includes a channel-shaped slide adjacent and about said selector arms. v

4. The data recorder of claim 3, wherein said latch means includes a transverse web secured between arms pivotally secured to the sides of said slide.

5. The data recorder of claim 4, wherein said tooth means comprises a sawtooth-shaped projection on each selector arm.

6. The data recorder of claim 5, further including stop means for pivoting said web of said latch out of engagement with said projections.

7. The data recorder of claim 6, wherein said crank translates said slide reciprocally away from a home position and returning to a home position, said web of said latch means engaging said projections during said return stroke only.

8. A data recorder for printing indicia, including a housing, a printing bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia wheels, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printing bed, a plurality of selector arms operatively engaging said variable indicia wheels, slidably retained in said housing and variably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia wheels, and a pawl apparatus for retaining said selector arms in a preset position with variable retaining force, said pawl apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pawl levers, each pawl lever engaging a selector arm, each of said plurality ofselector arms including spaced teeth for engaging said pawl levers, bail means operatively linked to said pawl levers for varying the amount of force of engagement applied by said pawl levers to said selector arms,

resilient means linking said bail means and said pawl levers, said bail means including a bail adjacent to said selector arms, said resilient means including a plurality of extension springs, one of said extension springs secured between each pawl lever and said bail, said bail being pivotally secured to a pivot shaft disposed adjacent to said selector arms, said bail biased by said extension springs into a first position of minimum spring extensions and minimum force of engagement of said pawl levers with said spaced teeth on said selector arms, and slide means for selectively urging said bail to a second position to maximum spring extensions and maximum force of engagement of said pawl levers with said spaced teeth on said selector arms.

9. The data recorder of claim 8, wherein each of said pawl levers includes a pawl for engaging said spaced teeth on said selector arm, said pawl including spaced walls defining a slot therebetween, said slot slidably receiving said spaced teeth, and a ball secured between said walls in said slot for contacting the surface of said spaced teeth.

10. The data recorder of claim 8, further including crank means secured between said platen carrier and said slide means for translating said slide means.

11. A data recorder for printing indicia, including a housing, a printing bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia wheels, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printing bed, a plurality of selector arms operatively associated with said variable indicia wheels, slidably retained in said housing and variably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia Wheels, a pawl mechanism engaging said selector arms for exerting a selectively variable force on saidselector arms and retaining said selector arms in a preset position, a separate. locking apparatus for engaging said variable indicia wheels prior to printing and immobilizing said variable indicia wheels during printing, a reset apparatus operatively associated with said platen carrier and said selector arms for returning said variable indicia wheels and said selector arms to a neutral position after printing, said pawl mechanism including biasing means for driving said pawl mechanism into engagement with said selecrier for reciprocally translating said slide. 

1. A data recorder for printing indicia, including a housing, a printing bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printing bed, a plurality of selector arms slidably retained by said housing and vaRiably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia wheels, and a reset apparatus for returning said variable indicia wheels and said selector arms to a neutral position, said reset apparatus comprising; slide means for reciprocally translating along said selector arms, latch means, pivotally secured to said slide means, for engaging said selector arms and returning said selector arms to said neutral position, crank means, secured to said slide means and operatively associated with said platen carrier, for translating said slide means, and tooth means, formed on said selector arms, for engaging said latch means.
 2. The data recorder of claim 1, further including pawl means for retaining said selector arms in a preset position, and bail means for varying the force of engagement of said pawl means with said selector arms to minimize said retaining of said selector arms during said return of said selector arms to said neutral position.
 3. The data recorder of claim 1, wherein said selector arms are parallel and spaced apart and said slide means includes a channel-shaped slide adjacent and about said selector arms.
 4. The data recorder of claim 3, wherein said latch means includes a transverse web secured between arms pivotally secured to the sides of said slide.
 5. The data recorder of claim 4, wherein said tooth means comprises a sawtooth-shaped projection on each selector arm.
 6. The data recorder of claim 5, further including stop means for pivoting said web of said latch out of engagement with said projections.
 7. The data recorder of claim 6, wherein said crank translates said slide reciprocally away from a home position and returning to a home position, said web of said latch means engaging said projections during said return stroke only.
 8. A data recorder for printing indicia, including a housing, a printing bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia wheels, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printing bed, a plurality of selector arms operatively engaging said variable indicia wheels, slidably retained in said housing and variably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia wheels, and a pawl apparatus for retaining said selector arms in a preset position with variable retaining force, said pawl apparatus comprising: a plurality of pawl levers, each pawl lever engaging a selector arm, each of said plurality of selector arms including spaced teeth for engaging said pawl levers, bail means operatively linked to said pawl levers for varying the amount of force of engagement applied by said pawl levers to said selector arms, resilient means linking said bail means and said pawl levers, said bail means including a bail adjacent to said selector arms, said resilient means including a plurality of extension springs, one of said extension springs secured between each pawl lever and said bail, said bail being pivotally secured to a pivot shaft disposed adjacent to said selector arms, said bail biased by said extension springs into a first position of minimum spring extensions and minimum force of engagement of said pawl levers with said spaced teeth on said selector arms, and slide means for selectively urging said bail to a second position to maximum spring extensions and maximum force of engagement of said pawl levers with said spaced teeth on said selector arms.
 9. The data recorder of claim 8, wherein each of said pawl levers includes a pawl for engaging said spaced teeth on said selector arm, said pawl including spaced walls defining a slot therebetween, said slot slidably receiving said spaced teeth, and a ball secured between said walls in said slot for contacting the surface of said spaced teeth.
 10. The data recorder of claim 8, further including crank means secured between said platen carrier and said slide means for translating said slide means.
 11. A data recorder for printing indicia, including a housing, a printing Bed secured to said housing and retaining a plurality of variable indicia wheels, a platen carrier adapted to be moved over said printing bed, a plurality of selector arms operatively associated with said variable indicia wheels, slidably retained in said housing and variably positionable to vary the presentation of said variable indicia wheels, a pawl mechanism engaging said selector arms for exerting a selectively variable force on said selector arms and retaining said selector arms in a preset position, a separate locking apparatus for engaging said variable indicia wheels prior to printing and immobilizing said variable indicia wheels during printing, a reset apparatus operatively associated with said platen carrier and said selector arms for returning said variable indicia wheels and said selector arms to a neutral position after printing, said pawl mechanism including biasing means for driving said pawl mechanism into engagement with said selector arms with a reduced retaining force as said reset apparatus returns said variable indicia wheels and said selector arms to said neutral position.
 12. The data recorder of claim 11, further including slide means for engaging said biasing means and varying said retaining force of said pawl mechanism and for operating said reset apparatus.
 13. The data recorder of claim 12, wherein said slide means includes a slide reciprocally translatable along parallel slide rails.
 14. The data recorder of claim 13, further including crank means operably associated with said platen carrier for reciprocally translating said slide. 